Dejan Lovren opens up about his initial struggles at Liverpool and lauds Jurgen Klopp for saving his Anfield career

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There are few more improved players in the Premier League than Lovren, and the Croatian believes Klopp deserves the credit.

Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has credited Jurgen Klopp with salvaging his Anfield career after a difficult start to life on Merseyside, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

The Croatian arrived for £20 million after just one season with Southampton in 2014, according to the BBC, but struggled initially to justify the hefty price tag, making a series of errors in a shaky first season in the famous red.

According to talkSPORT, no player in the Premier League made more mistakes leading directly to goals or clear cut chances in the 2014/15 season, while his ballooned spot kick in a penalty shootout against Besiktas saw Liverpool knocked out of the Europa League in the round of 32.

However, notwithstanding a loose touch against Crystal Palace with gifted James McArthur a goal a fortnight ago, Lovren looks a different player alongside Joel Matip in Klopp’s backline after struggling positionally and technically on the left of Brendan Rodgers’ back three.

And the centre-back has lauded the charismatic German for continuing to put his trust in him while many were already ruling out Lovren’s chances of a long-term future in the Liverpool defence.

“I have had ups and downs like everyone has in their lives,” Lovren, who has scored in wins against Chelsea and Palace this season, told the Liverpool Echo. “The difference is I’m a football player and millions of people can see when that happens to me.

“It is a difficult time when you make a mistake. But I always believed in myself even when other people stopped believing.

“When I started to play with Jurgen Klopp I think people were then able to see the difference between the first season and the second season here for me.

“He just believes in us and I think that has helped me to get back to the form I showed at Southampton or during the couple of years before that in France.”

Though currently top of the embryonic Premier League table, Liverpool have still leaked more goals than any other team in the top seven, their apparent inability to deal with set-pieces becoming a much-publicised Achilles heel.